Department of Radiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecule Imaging and Functional Imaging, Medical School of Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Road, Nanjing 210009, China.
Radiology. 2010 Aug;256(2):598-606. doi: 10.1148/radiol.10091701.
PURPOSE: To investigate alterations in functional connectivity in the resting brain networks in healthy elderly volunteers and patients with mild, moderate, or severe Alzheimer Disease (AD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained. Forty-six patients with AD and 16 healthy elderly volunteers were prospectively examined. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to detect alterations in posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) functional connectivity through a comparison of the healthy control group with three separate AD groups-mild, moderate, and severe AD. A temporal correlation method was used to obtain PCC connectivity maps. RESULTS: Dissociated functional connectivity between the PCC and a set of regions, including the visual cortices bilaterally, the inferior temporal cortex, the hippocampus, and especially the medial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus and/or cuneus, was observed in all AD groups. The disruption of connectivity intensified as the stage of AD progression increased. There were also regions that exhibited increased connectivity; these regions extended from left lateralized frontoparietal regions and spread to bilateral frontoparietal regions along with AD progression. CONCLUSION: Changes in PCC functional connectivity comprised bidirectional alterations in the resting networks in AD-affected brains, and the impaired resting functional connectivity seemed to change with AD progression. Therefore, alterations in functional connectivity in the default mode network might play a role in the progression of AD.
目的:研究健康老年志愿者和轻度、中度、重度阿尔茨海默病(AD)患者静息状态下大脑网络功能连接的变化。
材料与方法:本研究经机构伦理委员会批准,并获得了知情同意。前瞻性纳入 46 例 AD 患者和 16 例健康老年志愿者。使用静息态功能磁共振成像,通过将健康对照组与 3 个不同 AD 组(轻度、中度和重度 AD)进行比较,检测后扣带回皮层(PCC)功能连接的变化。采用时间相关方法获得 PCC 连接图。
结果:在所有 AD 组中,均观察到 PCC 与包括双侧视觉皮质、下颞叶皮质、海马体在内的一组区域之间存在功能连接分离,尤其是与内侧前额叶皮质、楔前叶和/或楔叶之间的功能连接分离。随着 AD 进展阶段的增加,连接的中断程度加剧。还有一些区域显示出连接增加,这些区域从左侧偏侧的额顶叶区域扩展到双侧额顶叶区域,并随着 AD 的进展而扩展。
结论:PCC 功能连接的变化包括 AD 患者大脑静息网络的双向改变,而受损的静息功能连接似乎随 AD 进展而变化。因此,默认模式网络功能连接的改变可能在 AD 的进展中起作用。
Neurobiol Aging. 2011-8-3